At the end of April, OCBC wrote to the Minister of Transportation of Ontario to protest his ministry's proposed minimum municipal roadway maintenance standards. The standards are to be implemented to reduce liability when sued by road users for negligence.

If the proposals are implemented, cracks up to 3 metres long, 5 cm wide and 5cm deep will be permitted to remain on road surfaces. Potholes of 8cm and more deep on shoulders where cyclists often ride, will not be required to be fixed for days and sometimes weeks. Standards for debris on the road refer only to possible injury to a motor vehicle driver, not other users.

We have been told by one of our member organizations that Ministry staff, in drawing up the standards, only considered the needs of motor vehicle drivers. This is blatant descrimination against cyclists whose rights to travel safely on public highways, well-established for a century, will be violated if these standards are implemented by local municipalities.